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For over a year, I've been paying for my daily grande iced decaf Americano with two pumps of classic syrup at with my iPhone. The coffees hop launched a mobile app for U.S. consumers in January 2011, and in 2012 rolled out the app to customers in the UK and Canada, which allows Starbucks customers to pay for coffee (as well as pastries, sandwiches, and other treats) with only our mobile devices. Unfortunately, until now there has been no way to tip baristas using the app - a feature both baristas and customers have been asking for, as these customers often don't have their actual wallet (or at least any cash) with them when buying coffee.

week, however, Starbucks will be updating their iOS app in the U.S. to allow customers to leave baristas a tip ranging from 50 cents to $2. Starting March 19, customers can update the app to receive the option to tip via a push notification sent to their iPhone a few minutes after paying at the register and then will have a two-hour window to decide to change the tip (just in case that Americano really hit the spot.) While only U.S. customers will be able to tip digitally for now, a spokesperson from Starbucks says "we’re looking forward to bringing digital tipping to other markets in the coming months."

Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman said customers have been requesting a tipping feature for the app for some time. “We think it’s going to be great for our baristas,” he said at Starbucks headquarters on Tuesday.

With more than 10 million active app users, Starbucks processes over 11 percent of its transactions using mobile apps, which translates to 5 million every week. At an analyst conference Tuesday, chief operating officer Troy Alstead said that Starbucks is the largest mobile-payments retailer in the U.S. “and, we think, around the world.”

With these numbers, the ability to tip baristas using mobile devices will ultimately lend to a better experience for customers. As mobile users will be more inclined to tip with a mobile wallet (which carries less psychological guilt for throwing down an extra dollar or two as you can't see or touch it), baristas will likely see a huge spike in tips. As Brotman said, the new feature will be great for baristas - the increase in tips will likely increase morale for the baristas, which will only create an even better experience for both those who make stopping by Starbucks a daily habit, and also the customers who make it an occasional treat.

It's a small feature, but it's one that will undoubtedly go a long way into shaping the future of Starbucks culture - in more ways than one.